Looking at edgers, likely part of the Kombi system. Any opinions on the curved edger for $99 vs the straight edger for almost double that? Easier to see, more power, less clogging, etc...

Thanks for any input.

LawnMan19

03-26-2012, 11:49 PM

How often will you be using it?

acerwi

03-27-2012, 12:00 AM

Probably not a lot right away, a couple hours a week maybe. I'll use it for sidewalks and for cleaning up bed edges.

tlc1994

03-27-2012, 12:15 AM

Most guys prefer the straight shaft. I`ve always used one, and to me they are easier to edge with. Plus they are easier to store without having a big, obtuse curve.
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1whitetail

03-27-2012, 12:27 AM

I have the curved shaft edger that is part of the kombi system that you mentioned. It is not a bad edger but I have been told that the straight shaft edger is more powerful. If you edge on a regular basis and never have to edge overgrown edges than the curved shaft is probably adequate enough for you. One thing that I recommend is a four pointed star edger blade. It is night and day compared to a regular edger blade and last a lot longer :clapping:.

PLS-Tx

03-27-2012, 12:45 AM

We like the straight shaft edger.

rlitman

03-28-2012, 05:49 PM

Some people like one, some people like the other. I have the straight, and like it a lot. It's got plenty of power to start an edge that hasn't been cut before (the curved may not).

People who prefer the curved, say it spins faster, and cuts better (with less power though). I'm not sure. I will say that if my edge is severely overgrown, I sometimes have to come back with the string to clean up stragglers sticking way onto the sidewalk, but I don't know if the curved would handle that better.

The four pointed blade may cut better and last longer, but the rectangles I get are something like a buck a piece if you buy in bulk.

Richard Martin

03-28-2012, 06:38 PM

People who prefer the curved, say it spins faster, and cuts better (with less power though). I'm not sure. I will say that if my edge is severely overgrown, I sometimes have to come back with the string to clean up stragglers sticking way onto the sidewalk, but I don't know if the curved would handle that better.

I've had both on the same power head. I bought a FC95 with the straight shaft. While it does have more power, it comes at the cost of blade speed. I didn't care for the slower speed since it did leave stragglers. I took my curved shaft off of my old FC75 and put it on the FC95. It made a world of difference to me.

Also, just for grins and giggles, I took the straight shaft trimmer off of my old FS80 and put it on the FC95 power head just to see how a 4 Mix trimmer felt. I didn't care for the serious imbalance. That power head is just too heavy for use as a trimmer to me.

ShooterK2

03-28-2012, 08:07 PM

I have the FC 90 curved shaft edger, and I like it (although I've never had a straight shaft edger). If the edge is really overgrown, I still have to go back and straighten it up with the string trimmer.

cgaengineer

03-28-2012, 08:22 PM

I have both curved and straight (kombi) like another member said, the curved is faster. Both do a great job, but I'd save the curved for weekly edges and straight for new.
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Moose's Mowing

03-28-2012, 08:49 PM

I have the FC 90 curved shaft edger, and I like it (although I've never had a straight shaft edger). If the edge is really overgrown, I still have to go back and straighten it up with the string trimmer.

Same with me, I just picked up the FC90 curved. There was a pretty big price difference between the straight shaft. I wanted the straight shaft but with the same powerhead, I couldnt justify the price jump. I just used it today at my own house. I did several hundred feet of beds that have never been edged and it edged as fast as I could walk. Then I did my paved driveway thats about 200 feet long. did both sides. that was an overgrown mess. I made the driveway about 1 1/2 feet wider overall. Not once did I feel like it bogged down or didnt have enough power. Granted this is my first "real" stick edger but I'm sold I really like it. I do agree with the balance being a little off on the 4mix models. I got an FS90 trimmer and the FC90 edger. The powerheads are fairly heavy and not balanced quite right. I'm big enough to handle the weight, but the balance could use some work. for me though, I don't think it's gonna be a huge deal. If you have one guy running one of these all day, it might suck, but I'll only be using mine for 10 minutes at a pop. I'm real happy with the Stihls. It's the only saw I'll ever buy, and I figured I'd try their handhelds, I'm glad I did.

HTH

Two Men And A Goat

03-28-2012, 09:03 PM

I have a Stihl curved shaft edger. I don't use it but a couple of hours a week and have a lot of problems with dirt getting clogged in the curved metal guard and have to stop to clean it out. The straight shaft edger has a rubber flap instead of a curved metal guard so it would not get clogged

Moose's Mowing

03-28-2012, 09:19 PM

the one i picked up is a curved shaft.....it has the rubber flap and doesn't get clogged. maybe they changed it around for this year? I just picked this up yesterday btw

Ridin' Green

03-29-2012, 12:25 AM

I just did about 2000-2500 feet of edging today (well actually it was yesterday now). I just picked up the straight shaft edger attachment to go along with the pole pruner attachment I already had for my FS90, to use as either a pole pruner or edger now, since I won a Husky trimmer this past winter, and am using that for my trimmer full time.

I like the extra guide/gauge wheel on the straight shaft edger over the single on the curved version. It makes edging easier to do regardless of where you are running the edger- on top of the grass, or right down the sidewalk/driveway hard top. I thought I'd prefer the curved version better until I got to finally use this one. I think the blade speed is more than fast enough. I don't edge at WOT usually anyway. Only when really needed. I don't have any trouble with the balance of the Stihl trimmers either, but the edger attachment makes the thing feel very front heavy compared to string trimmer head. I had plenty of power to grind through some seriously overgrown turf on a couple sidewalks. The only thing I needed was an even longer blade to cut all the way through in one pass.

lawnboy dan

03-29-2012, 09:48 AM

the straight shaft gives a ragged edge but will go tru anything. curved is best for everyday use

Ridin' Green

03-29-2012, 02:16 PM

the straight shaft gives a ragged edge but will go tru anything. curved is best for everyday use

I haven't found this to be true at all. Mine leaves a nice clean edge.

rlitman

03-29-2012, 02:58 PM

I haven't found this to be true at all. Mine leaves a nice clean edge.

Same here. I haven't had any issues with even severely overgrown grass. It's just other weeds that sometimes get past the blade.

One thing I did notice, is that the curved shaft trimmer's guard is much more "enclosed". I've cut through all sorts of dirt and mud (even sliced through the middle of my lawn for a cheezy trench), and my straight shaft edger never came close to clogging. It never occurred to me that the curved shaft could clog, but I can say that the straight shaft one will not.

I do edge at WOT, and even with an edge that hadn't been touched since before the winter, I could go as fast as I could walk. I did 600 feet of edging (I live on a corner) last weekend in about 3 minutes.

The weight of the machine really doesn't come into play for me. I put the strap over my neck, and actually end up pushing down with both hands, to keep the blade in the cut (the blade's force wants to walk out of the cut, if the edge wasn't done before). After the edge is established, I can do everything with just one hand on the throttle for the rest of the season (unless I skip a month or so).